Cajun Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

A Cajun Twist On Fall's Favorite Snack

Like any red-blooded Southern woman, I feel it is my duty to go full throttle with all four seasons—especially fall. Call me basic, but I love everything about this crispy golden season. From pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin patches to haunted houses to schmaltzy Hallmark movies to full-on slasher flicks, I love it all. What Mr. Starita and I particularly enjoy is our annual tradition of carving pumpkins and subsequently putting their seeds to good use. Since I married into a family that hails from south of I-10, my method of serving up this seasonal treat has gone from plain ol' salt and pepper to so Cajun that it flings Mardi Gras beads at my face the second I pull them out of the oven.

Ingredients

• Pumpkin seeds
• Stalekracker's Cajun Two Step Fire Seasoning (or the Cajun seasoning of your choice)
• 2 TBSP butter, melted
• Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of salt
• Dash of cayenne pepper

For this recipe, I don't recommend using any measuring tools (aside from the measurements on the butter stick), I simply "eyeball it." Oddly enough, that has worked for me for four years straight.

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Carve your pumpkin and separate as much of the pulp from the seeds as you can. Put seeds in a strainer.

3. Rinse the seeds. If your faucet has a "full blast" switch, I highly suggest you put it to good use here, and don't forget to put in your sink stopper!

4. Pat seeds dry and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

5. Shake the seasoning all over the seeds and stir.

6. Pour melted butter and several generous splatterings of Worcestershire sauce over the seeds.

7. Add a dash of salt and cayenne, then mix well—make sure the seeds are fully coated.

8. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes.

9. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping seeds over with a spatula every 10 minutes. Expect brown crunchy goodness!

10. Let cool and enjoy!